Bury FC and Bury AFC vote to merge and bring football back to Gigg Lane
- Published
Bury fans bought back their old Gigg Lane stadium in February 2022, with football set to return to the ground for the first time since 2019
A vote to merge Bury FC and Bury AFC has passed, paving the way for football to return to Gigg Lane.
Members of both clubs failed to reach a two-thirds majority in the first merger vote in October.
This time 90.1% of the Bury FC Supporters' Society and 97% of Bury AFC members voted to form one club to play at Gigg Lane from next season.
Having a unified club in Bury means it also now qualifies for local council and government levelling up funding.
"What we are building today, is for those who will look back, [to] be proud of the work we as volunteers have put into establishing this club as a shining example of a sustainable fan-owned football club,"
The Shakers were expelled from the English Football League in 2019, with some fans going on to form Bury AFC.
The club plays in the Premier Division of the North West Counties League, the ninth tier of the English football pyramid, staging their home games a few miles down the road from Gigg Lane at Stainton Park, Radcliffe.
Bury fans completed a deal to buy back their old Gigg Lane ground in February 2022 and currently trade as Bury FC.
A total of 2,700 votes were counted across the Shakers Community Society and Bury FC Supporters' Society, with 66% needing to vote in favour of a merger for it to pass.
The original vote, held in October 2022, failed to pass having fallen just short of the threshold on 63%.
Funding of £1.3m is available in total - £450,000 from Bury Council and the rest coming from the government's levelling up fund.